Conn Center Staff

Jagannadh Satyavolu, PhD
Theme Leader, Biomass and Biofuels

Mahendra Sunkara, PhD, is the Director of the Conn Center, where he directs the Center’s research themes, growth, and operations.

He received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering in 1993 from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, where he focused on Monte-Carlo simulation of diamond nucleation and growth. He holds an MS in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY (1988) and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Andhra University in Waltair, India (1986). He served as Project Engineer at Faraday Technology Inc. in Dayton OH (1993-1996), focusing on applied electrochemical engineering technology, before joining the faculty at the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering, where he established a research program on advanced materials synthesis and characterization. He was granted tenure in 2002, promoted to full professorship in 2006, and appointed as University Scholar in 2010. He was the Founding Director of the Institute of Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy, and was appointed as the Director of the Conn Center in 2013.

Mahendra is the author/co-author of over 100 original research papers and four book chapters and holds 10 patents in the areas of nanowires and other nanoscale materials toward energy conversion and storage applications. With M. Meyyappan of NASA Ames, he co-wrote the book, “Inorganic Nanowires: Applications, Properties, and Characterization.” Among his awards are a NSF CAREER Award, the IIChE United Phosphorus CHEMCON Award, the 2009 University of Louisville President’s Distinguished Faculty Award in Research and Scholarship, the University Scholar appointment, a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award in Engineering in 1999, and Louisville Magazine’s Top 25 Young Guns distinction. He serves as a regular reviewer for numerous journals including Journal of the American Society, Advanced Materials, Nanotechnology, and Applied Physics Letters and for federal funding agencies including NSF, DOE, and the EPA. He serves on the editorial boards of Nanotechnology and Nanoenergy journals. He also serves on boards of Karuturi Global Ltd (India/Ethiopia/Kenya) and Chemener Batteries Ltd (India). He founded a startup, Advanced Energy Materials, LLC (USA) in 2010.

Mahendra’s primary research is in the development of such renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies as solar cells, lithium ion batteries, electrochromics, production of hydrogen from water, and process development for growing large crystals of diamond, gallium nitride, and bulk quantities of nanowires.

Andrew Marsh is the Assistant Director of the Conn Center, where he is responsible for daily operations, public relations and communications, and facilitating the growth of the Center. He is the Program Officer for the UofL Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy.

He received his MFA in Studio Art & Design from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL in 2001 and holds a BFA in Art Studio from the University of Kentucky in Lexington (1995). At Kentucky (1989-1995), he helped establish the iron casting program in Sculpture, was studio assistant for sculptors Jack Gron and John Tuska, and received the T.J. Oexmann Award for Outstanding Art Studio Student. After graduation, Andrew became the Custom Metalwork Manager for the Land Cruiser Connection in Washington DC (1995-1998), producing high quality expedition-class equipment solutions for off-roading enthusiasts. In grad school at Southern Illinois (1998-2001), he fused the cast iron foundry process with sculptural steel fabrication techniques and performance art events; his elaborate Devil's Night Ironworks is part of the Founder's Collection at Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum in Indiana.

From 2001 to 2004, Andrew was an Artist in Residence at the award-winning City Museum in St. Louis, MO. He is credited with constructing over 50 interactive exhibits, monumental steel playground features, and specialty environments in this most unusual museum. Concurrently, he served as Adjunct Faculty in the Art Department of Webster University, where he taught foundry, steel fabrication, and ferrous performance art, and established his freelance writing service and artist studio, Lucky 7 Arts. In 2005, Andrew relocated to Louisville to serve as Research Grant Coordinator at the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center (2005-2009). He orchestrated writing and editing for over 350 manuscripts and grant proposals, curated survivor artworks, and tutored international researchers in English and technical writing. While at the Cancer Center, he was the recipient of the 2007 University of Louisville Presidents' Professional Development Program Award. In 2010, he joined the Conn Center. To date, Andrew's metal sculptures, photographs, paintings, videos, and performances have appeared in over 250 group and solo exhibitions and collections throughout the US and in the United Kingdom. He continues to innovate as an artist and currently serves as Executive Officer on the Board of Directors for Josephine Sculpture Park in Frankfort, KY.

Gamini Sumanasekera, PhD, is the Energy Storage Theme Leader at the Conn Center, where he focuses on material innovations in large area graphene growth, thermionics and thermoelectrics, and lithium ion battery development.

He obtained his doctorate in Physics from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1995 and worked on several projects related to quantum transport in disordered systems and heterostructures. He also holds an MS in Physics from Bowling Green State University, OH (1987), where he worked on Flux quantization in disordered bismuth films, and a BS in Physics with honors from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1981). He served as a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Physics at the University of Kentucky (1995-1999) and worked on the physical properties of nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and high Tc superconductors. He was a Senior Research Associate in Physics at Pennsylvania State University (1999-2002), where he continued his explorations into the electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, Raman scattering, and electrochemical behavior of novel and functionalized nanomaterials. He joined the Physics faculty at the University in Louisville in 2002, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007, and served as the Associate Director of the Institute of Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy.

Gamini is the author/co-author of over 75 original research papers and holds patents in the area of thermoelectric materials and processes. Among his awards are the University of Louisville’s College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Faculty Award in Research and Scholarship and the University Scholar distinction. His research in experimental condensed matter physics now includes projects in photonic and thermoelectric materials using synthetic opals, doped nanodiamond-based thermionic emission, chemical sensors using single wall carbon nanotubes and graphene, phonon confinement effects in semiconducting nano-structures, and metal-insulator-transition in hydrogenated graphene.

Jacek Jasinski, PhD is a Research Scientist and Materials Characterization Theme Leader focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying physical properties and functionality of technologically important device structures and materials. He also oversees the Materials Characterization Service Center.

He earned his M.Sc. in Solid State Physics (1992) and doctorate in Physics of Semiconductors from Warsaw University (Poland) in 1997. He served as junior faculty at the Institute of Experimental Physics at the Warsaw University, Poland (1997-2000), Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Materials Science at the Lawrence Berkley National Lab (2000-2004), and Post-doctoral Researcher in Engineering at the University of California, Merced (2004-2005). Between 2005 and 2008, he was a Research Scientist in the School of Engineering at the University of California. In 2008, he joined the Institute for Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy at the University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering as Chief Scientist. In 2009, Jacek was appointed Theme Leader in Materials Characterization at the Conn Center.

Jacek is author/co-author of 125 original research papers in refereed journals, over 40 articles in refereed conference proceedings, and is co-author of a book chapter in "Dilute III-V Nitride Semiconductors and Materials Systems." His research articles have appeared on the journal covers of physica status solidi and Chemical Communications. He is a journal reviewer for Microscopy and Microanalysis as well as Superlattices and Microstructures, and is a co-organizer of scientific symposia and meetings such as Symposium K: Graphene and Graphene Nanocomposites at the 2014 MRS Fall Meeting as well as the 2011 and 2013 Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Workshops. Among his awards are the Foundation for Polish Science Award (1997) and the Polish Physical Society Award (1992).

In his current position, Dr. Jasinski collaborates with a number of faculty, both UofL and external, as well as industrial partners on a number of various materials development projects, mainly in the fields of energy, catalysis, and nanomaterials. In his research, he applies electron microscopy and related techniques, as well as other material characterization methods including x-ray diffraction, surface analysis and optical measurements to study the relationship between the material structure, its chemistry, and physical properties and to understand the mechanisms underlying physical properties and functionality of technologically important device structures and materials. His current research interests include functional materials for renewable energy technologies such as solar cells and solar fuels, energy storage (Li-ion and Li-air batteries) as well as metal, metal oxide, and semiconductor nanostructures for catalytical, optical, sensing, and bio-medical applications.

Thad Druffel, PhD, PE is a Senior Research Engineer and Theme Leader for Solar Manufacturing R&D focused on scalable manufacturing of photovoltaics and other renewable energy production and storage solutions.

He received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville in 2009. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University (2000) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (1990) and is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky (Lic. 22550). He interned at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University before joining the United States Peace Corps in 1990, where he served as a math, physics, and chemistry teacher in Malawi. He then joined Eco-Systems Ltd., a manufacturer of solar water heaters, in Malawi as a field/design/manufacturing engineer. Thad worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Obermeyer Hydro in Fort Collins, CO (1994-2000). He relocated to Louisville to work with CDI Engineering Group (GE Appliances) and then Optical Dynamics Nanotechnology, where he served as Senior Mechanical Engineer and then Vice President of Applied Research and Development until 2010, where he led an R&D group in the area of optical nanocomposite thin films. He was the architect of the nanoCLEAR product, an antireflective coating for eyeglass lenses, which received a Nano50 Award from Nanotech Briefs in 2006. He has also consulted with industrial clients to develop products based on large area deposition of nanoparticles. He joined the Conn Center in 2010.

Thad's primary research is investigating utilization of nanocomposites on wide area flexible substrates with intended applications in solar energy via roll-to-roll deposition techniques. He has several publications and patent applications related to this research in photonic applications of thin film nanocomposites. He is experienced as the principal investigator in grants from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the State of Kentucky as well as industry sponsored research. His background includes research and development topics in both Mechanical and Chemical Engineering and he has been involved in projects ranging from solar and water facilities in Africa to corporate research and development of cutting edge technologies.

Paul Ratnasamy, PhD, is an Emeritus Theme Leader of Biofuels for the Conn Center where he was a central figure from 2009-2011.

He obtained his doctorate in Chemistry from Loyola College, Madras. After post-doctoral experiences in the US (1967-1969) and Belgium (1969-1972), he joined the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, in 1972. He transferred to the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune, India in 1979, where he started the Catalysis Division in 1980. He was the Director of NCL for 7 years (1995-2002). Between 2004 and 2009, he was honored as the Indian National Science Academy’s Srinivasa Ramanujan Research Professor at NCL. Among his awards are the Padma Shree (2001), a Third World Academy of Sciences Award in Technology (1994), the Viswakarma Medal by the Indian National Academy (1994), the Om Prakash Bhasin Award (1992), the K.G. Naik Gold Medal (1989), the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences (1984), and a Vasvik Industrial Research Award (1982).

Paul is the author/co-author of 206 original research papers in refereed journals and holds more than 100 patents including 30 U.S. patents in the area of catalysis.He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Catalysis, Applied Catalysis, Zeolites, Catalysis Letters, Topics in Catalysis, CATTECH, and Microporous and Mesoporous Materials and as a council member of the Internatinal Zeolite Association, from which he won the International Award for lifetime achievement in zeolite chemistry and catalysis research (2004). He is a founder-member of the Indian Catalysis Society (730 members) and past president of the Indo-Pacific Catalysis Association.

In the area of applied catalysis, he and his group have discovered, developed, and commercializedthe following seven catalysts and catalytic processes in Indian chemical plants: Xylene isomerization; production of ethyl benzene from agro-ethanol and benzene (the first plant worldwide); toluene disproportionation; production of diethyl benzene, styrene, and formaldehyde; and the manufacture of TS-1 zeolites. In recognition of this feat, the President of India honored him with thePadma ShreeAward in Science and Engineering, one of its highest civilian recognitions, in 2001. Paul has served as a consultant to a large number of Indian and foreign chemical companies in the area of industrial catalysis.

Dr. Satyavolu has 25 years of experience in commercial business leadership roles, operations and capital project management, product and process technology development, industrial application research, and academia. He has lead projects in lignocellulosic biomass conversion for energy, chemicals, paper and other industrial markets; waste to energy conversion technologies and implementation; process integration and economics; water treatment and recycle; and new product/process development for chemical, food, and biotechnology industries. Prior to joining Conn Center, he worked at Cargill, Georgia Institute of Technology, Battelle Labs, and the Ohio State University.

Dr. Satyavolu received his PhD (1989) and MS (1984) in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a BTech (1982) in Chemical Engineering from Andhra University in India. He had several publications and holds 20 US and international patents. He has lead multiple projects from concept to commercialization. He joined the Conn Center in 2011.

His focus at the Conn Center is to develop technologies and promote business and commercial relationships among biomass producers and biofuel producers in such a way that the cost of biofuel production is comparable to costs from synthetic sources. To this extent, he identifies the most suitable biomasses and develops integrated processes to produce C5-platform of biofuels and biochemical intermediates.

Jinjun Liu, PhD is the Ultrafast Spectroscopy Theme Leader at the Conn Center, where he contributes to the advancement of renewable energy science and technology through basic spectroscopic studies conducted in the center's Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy facility.

He received his B.S. in optoelectronics at East China Normal University in 1999 and worked for two years in the State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy in Shanghai. For his Ph.D., he studied Chemical Physics at the Ohio State University in Dr. Terry A. Miller's research group. At both laboratories, he examined transient molecular species or "free radicals" using various high-resolution spectroscopic techniques. He also conducted experimental and theoretical studies on the so-called "Jahn-Teller" effect, which causes spontaneous distortion of the symmetry of polyatomic molecules and crystal structures. Jinjun received his Ph.D. in 2007 and served as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Frederic Merkt at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich. He studied atoms and molecules in the highly excited Rydberg states using a home-made Ti:Saphire-amplifier-based laser spectroscopy system. Using this system, he also determined the energies of the hydrogen molecule with unprecedented precision and invented a novel method to generate broadly tunable narrow-bandwidth terahertz radiation.

Jinjun joined the Chemistry faculty at the University of Louisville in 2012 as an Assistant Professor. Currently, he is focused on characterizing solar cell materials of interest to understand their fundamental dynamic processes and interfaces for the Conn Center. This information is essential to developing their functions and applications toward renewable energy applications.

Robert Hickman, PhDis a Research Engineer and Theme Leader for Power Electronics focused on scalable manufacturing of power electronics and other renewable energy production, transformation and storage solutions.

He received his doctorate and MS in Electrical Engineering from the Millimeter Wave and Photonics research program at the University of Cincinnati in 1995. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with High Honors from the University of Louisville (1991). He served as Senior Device Engineer for SVT Associates in Eden Prarie, MN (1995-1999), where he led the development of novel electrical and photonic devices based on group III-nitrides as well as gallium arsenic-based static induction transistors. From 1999-2012, Bob led numerous research and commercialization efforts at Anadigics, Inc. in Warren, NJ, where he became the Director of Advanced Device Technology Development. While at Anadigics, Bob led efforts in engineering and production development management, project management, device physics engineering, process development, semiconductor yield and cost control, semiconductor quality testing and failure analysis, and he was twice awarded the President's Award in recognition of the highest level of significant contributions to the company. In 2012, Bob formed APIQ Semiconductor, LLC, serving as their Chief Technology Officer, to develop gallium nitride, gallium oxide and silicon carbide power electronics technologies for distribution, control and conversion industries. Concurrently, he joined the Conn Center in 2013.

Bob is a highly experienced device physicist, engineer and business manager whose research is focused on III-V compound semiconductor technologies. He has publications and patent applications related to his research in power electronics. He is extensively trained in formal project management practices with hands on experience delivering final product results. Bob has been the proposing innovator and Principal Investigator of seven successful awarded Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contracts and programs.

He received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2010. He also holds an MS in Chemical Engineering from Caltech (2006) and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina (2004). He conducted research on proton exchange membrane fuels cell at the University of South Carolina (2000-2004), before pursuing research into scalable and inexpensive nanostructured photovoltaics at Caltech (2004-2009). As a post-doctoral scholar at Caltech (2010), he worked on multifunctional membranes for solar fuels applications and demonstrated the viability of solar-driven water vapor electrolysis. He then became a Research Scientist at the inception of the Department of Energy's solar fuels innovation hub, the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP, 2011-2013), where his research involved photoelectrochemical studies of the interfaces between catalysts and semiconductors. He became Project Lead for the Interface group and Proccessing, Materials, and Integration Team at JCAP (2013) before joining the Conn Center at the University of Louisville in 2014.

Josh was a National Merit Scholar and McNair Scholar at the University of South Carolina, as well as a National Science Foundation Fellow at Caltech, where he also won the Demetriades Prize in Renewable Energy and was a distinguished Everhart Lecturer. His research includes the study of novel photoelectrode materials for solar fuels generation, engineering approaches to produce low-cost solar cells matched to specific electrolysis loads, and the design and innovation of catalysts and electrolyzers for fuel formation.

Tatiana Krensel, PhDis a Research Associate at the Conn Center, where she is the facility research manager for the Materials Characterization Service Center.

She received her doctorate in Physics from the Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia) in 1994. She holds an MS in Physics and Mathematics from Kiev State University (Kiev, Ukraine). She served as junior faculty at the Institute of Macromolecular Compounds Ukrainian Academy of Science (Kiev, Ukraine), and later as junior faculty at the Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Science. She worked as a Post-doctoral Researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri (1994-1995) as a Post-doctoral Researcher, and then as a research associate at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (1995-1997). Tatiana then took sabbatical to raise her family and returned to the field in 2008, first as a lecturer, teaching general Physics Courses at the Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy at Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, and later as a research associate at the Department of Chemistry at Binghamton University (2012-2013). She joined the Conn Center in 2013.

Tatiana is author/co-author of 24 scientific publications and presentations. Her research interests focused on the structure and properties of systems with one-dimensional positional order as well as the structure and magnetic properties of composite core/shell nanoparticles. Currently, she works with Dr. Jacek Jasinski to investigate the connections between microscopic structure and physical properties and functionalities of newer technologically promising materials synthesized at the Conn Center. Tatiana manages the Materials Characterization Service Center and supervises and trains students and researchers on methods of Thermal Analysis, Surface Analysis, Advanced Electron Microscopy, Laser Spectroscopy, and X-Ray Diffractometry.

Rodica McCoy was a Research Manager at the Conn Center, where she coordinated the daily operations associated with analytical services offered by the Materials Characterization Service Center. Rodica retired from the University of Louisville in October, 2013.

She received her BA in Chemistry from the University of Louisville in 1985. She holds a BS in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University (1978) and an Associates in Applied Science from Erie Community College, Buffalo, NY (1972). Before coming to University of Louisville, Rodica gained valuable industrial experience from Corning Glass Works in Corning, NY, where she worked for 6 years in the Analytical Services Department performing X-Ray Fluorescence Analyses, and at Corhart Refractories in Louisville, KY, where she worked for 4 years as process engineer.

Rodica was at UofL for 27 years. She worked in the Materials Research Laboratory in Speed Scientific School, which became the Institute for Advanced Materials and Renewable Energy in 2006. In 2009, this Institute was absorbed into the newly formed the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research as the Materials Characterization Service Center. At the Service Center, Rodica performed advanced material analyses for industrial customers outside the university. She also worked closely with university faculty and students, who use the equipment and staff expertise for their research studies.

In addition to her duties at the Service Center, Rodica served as coordinator for the statewide workshop on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. These workshops bring together university researchers from Kentucky and industry partners to share ideas and discuss current issues related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced energy materials.

Eunice Salazar is the Administrative Associate of the Conn Center, where she is responsible for all financial operations, including requisitions, invoicing, accounts receivable/payable, reconciliation, and pre-/post-award grant accounting.

She received her MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Louisville in 2010. During this study, she worked with teams to consult with local businesses to write industry competitive analyses and business plans, and looked for ways to improve operations. She travelled with the program to Dubai, Abu Dhabi UAE, and Istanbul, Turkey, to learn about what it takes to conduct business in those countries. She earned her BA in Foreign Languages and International Studies from Bellarmine University in 2005. As part of the Honors program, she wrote her thesis about the translation process and its challenges. During a study abroad in Paris, France, Eunice took courses in translation and political science at the Institute Catholique de Paris and Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle through the MICEFA exchange program.

Before coming to UofL, Eunice gained valuable experience at CertiCell, LLC, a start-up company in the wireless industry, where she worked for 7 years. She worked in various roles starting as an Administrative Assistant, then Database Analyst and Enterprise Resource Planning Administrator/Accounting Assistant before becoming Office Manager. She led the implementation of the net-based ERP system, Netsuite, and provided training and technical support for employees at all levels of the company.

Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Eunice has spent most of her life in the United States. She's a native Spanish speaker and studied French and Italian as part of her undergraduate studies. She enjoys learning about various cultures and visiting different countries. Eunice is a member of The Greater Louisville International Professionals (GLIP) and National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA).